supreme-court-rejects-neet-retest-no-evidence-of-breach

The Supreme Court has ruled that there will be no retest for the NEET-UG exam, dismissing the demands for a re-examination based on allegations of a question paper leak. The court stated that there was insufficient evidence to suggest a widespread breach of the exam's integrity.

 

A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud considered the petitions calling for a retest of the NEET-UG exam, which was held on May 5. The petitioners claimed there had been a question paper leak and other irregularities.

 

In its judgement, the court scrutinised data from the National Testing Agency (NTA) and a report by IIT Madras. Both sources indicated that there was no mass-scale leak of the question paper. Chief Justice Chandrachud emphasised the lack of evidence to conclude that the exam's results were compromised or that there was a systemic breach of exam security.

 

The court recognized the significant implications of ordering a retest. It noted that such a decision would severely impact the 24 lakh students who took the exam, disrupt the admission schedule, affect medical education, and hinder the availability of qualified medical professionals. Additionally, a retest could disadvantage marginalised students who benefit from reserved seats.

 

While acknowledging isolated incidents of paper leaks in Hazaribagh and Patna, where 155 students were identified as direct beneficiaries, the court referred to the ongoing investigation by the CBI. The court instructed that appropriate action would be taken against any additional beneficiaries identified by the CBI investigation.

 

Regarding the issue of two correct options for a question in the NEET paper, the court cited a report from IIT Delhi, which confirmed that option 4 was correct. The Chief Justice directed the NTA to revise the exam results based on the corrected option.

 

The court also noted that if the petitioners had further grievances with this judgement, they could seek remedies in accordance with the law.

 

The Supreme Court's decision not to order a NEET-UG retest was based on a thorough review of evidence and a consideration of the broader consequences for the students and the medical education system.

 

The judgement emphasised maintaining the integrity of the examination process while addressing specific incidents of malpractice through ongoing investigations.